Jump to content

Wheel bearing replacement. Did I mess this up?


Recommended Posts

As discussed in other threads, I had a dry wheel bearing in the front. I decided to replace both bearings and seals.

The removal went great, I used a heat gun and bought a slide hammer and pulled that down (wheel resting on two stands) to use gravity. The downside of this was that the spacer fell out and I wasn't sure which way it was in. I looked through the procedure in the manual but couldn't find a mention of direction in the procedure.

So I installed it how it made the most sense to me. I tapped in the first bearing using a hammer and the old bearing and when it was inside the wheel I used a correct sized socket to drive it to the bottom. That went well but when trying the spacer in both directions it felt to me as if the spacer was sitting a bit higher then the bottom ridge for the second bearing. Nothing I could do so I proceeded to seat the second bearing. I was looking for the different sound the taps make when the bearing reaches the bottom and stopped when I heard them.

But I was surprised that the bearings seemed to be harder to turn then before. I'm pretty sure that the spacer is pushing the insides of both bearing slightly out causing friction.

I've since found a diagram in the beginning of the front wheel section of the service manual and I have installed the spacer the wrong way (of course). I've tried to insert it both ways and could not figure out why it has that ring around it, it doesn't touch anything and I can't see how it makes a difference.

I went for a ride and did not notice any improvement with my issue (so the shuddering only comes from seizing links so new chain is the next job) but I do feel more friction coming from the front wheel. It's hard to be sure because the EBC HH pads do their own dragging.

Screenshot 2021-05-06 at 12.52.02.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you raise the front wheel and either remove the calipers or remove the brake pads, the wheel should spin freely. If it is reluctant to spin then I think you’ll have to remove one of the new bearings and swap the spacer around.

  • Thumbsup 1

Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, BBB said:

If you raise the front wheel and either remove the calipers or remove the brake pads, the wheel should spin freely. If it is reluctant to spin then I think you’ll have to remove one of the new bearings and swap the spacer around.

That's what I thought. It spins.. but less long than before.

The spacer is the variable that changed I'm sure that the bearings have to be seated completely and I did not put any pressure on the middle rings at any time.

But I cannot for the life of me understand how reversing the spacer could make a difference because I did reverse it when I noticed that it seemed to stick out a little and it made no difference. I expected it to put pressure on the middle rings of the spacers and it really does. The thing is that I'm pretty sure that it will do so with the reversed spacer as well.

But there is nothing else I can think of.. guess I'll order new bearings again and try. I'm going to see if the dealer knows what the ring on the spacer is for first. I thought as a counterweight for the ABS ring perhaps?

Edited by petshark
grammar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What direction did you install the spacer from?

the diagram shows the raised portion of the spacer being opposite the encoder ring. For the moment I’m going to assume that you didn’t remove the abs encoder ring and we know for sure that the wheel as currently installed on your bike is rotating in the direction the factory intended. 

you may have done nothing wrong and that light drag you see is simply drag from the new bearing when rotating the wheel, which could be normal. 

my only thought is that 1- there is a ridge inside the wheel that the raised portion of the spacer is supposed to sit against or into, or 2- the other possibility is that the spacer is slightly more narrow in one end that sits inside the bearing (unlikely). 

if you do attempt the repair again, try installing the spacer from both the side opposite the abs ring and the same side as the abs ring to see if that makes any difference.

If not, then I’m out of ideas. Esp since it appears from the diagram in the book that both bearings share the same part number. 

all that spacer does is provide proper clamping load on the bearings and entire assembly when the axle is tightened. So if it doesn’t sit into some sort of unique space in the wheel or bearing, then the Reason for the raised portion being installed a particular way is known only to Yamaha. 

@micah2074 once you remove a bearing, you replace. General rule. Removing a bearing will almost always damage it in some way. 
If you’re careful, the seals should pop out easily and can be reused.  

-Skip

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any time you take on a job you've never done, even if it's simple, research it. Service manual is a must. This forum, Internet, YouTube, etc. Read through the WHOLE procedure first. 

There is usually an order to wheel bearings. The left or right is first, then the other one seats on the spacer...Correctly installed of course.

At this point order 2 more wheel bearings and start over. You never remove bearings then reinstall the same ones. As has been said.

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, peteinpa said:

Any time you take on a job you've never done, even if it's simple, research it. Service manual is a must. This forum, Internet, YouTube, etc. Read through the WHOLE procedure first. 

There is usually an order to wheel bearings. The left or right is first, then the other one seats on the spacer...Correctly installed of course.

At this point order 2 more wheel bearings and start over. You never remove bearings then reinstall the same ones. As has been said.

I did research it and I watched this very video but it is different on the Tracer. Also the order was respected as per the manual, my only mistake was letting the spacer fall out and not finding how it was supposed to go in.

1 hour ago, ilanr1 said:

As it looks from my point of view it doest matter which side it goes...

That was my conclusion as well, the pipe itself seems symmetrical, it just has that ring on one side, but the end pieces that touch the bearings are the same and the hole in the wheel is also the same on each side.

Solution

So I visited the dealer and he said that you don't fully seat the second bearing. You have to leave a paper thin gap so that the spacer can still move just a little inside. Easier said than done because one tap of the hammer goes from too loose to too tight. I did not see that in Dell's or the MC garage video''s so it must be a Yamaha thing.

He said that I could reuse the bearing because I did not ride a lot on it. I've since removed one bearing and reinstalled with the spacer reversed (doesn’t do anything) and left it a little loose and now the wheel spins nice and long on the axle. I will order new ones though and do it all over because it took many hits with the slide hammer to get it out again.

Another lesson learned! 😎 I'll be a real mechanic yet!

Edited by petshark
  • Thumbsup 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Supporting Member
10 minutes ago, petshark said:

I've since removed one bearing and reinstalled with the spacer reversed (doesn;t do anything) and left it a little loose and now the bearings roll freely not and the wheel spins nice and long on the axle.

Another lesson learned! 😎 I'll be a real mechanic yet!

Glad to hear that it is working again for you.  I agree with @peteinpa - Mistakes are a GREAT learning tool.

  • Thumbsup 4

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, petshark said:

...So I visited the dealer and he said ...that I could reuse the bearing because I did not ride a lot on it.

...I will order new ones though and do it all over because it took many hits with the slide hammer to get it out again.

That is the reason to replace it, the dealer is wrong to focus on how much riding was done on it.

1980 Yamaha 850 Triple (sold). Too many bikes to list, FJ-09 is next on my list
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Lone Wolf said:

That is the reason to replace it, the dealer is wrong to focus on how much riding was done on it.

In his defence, he says you should be able to pop out the bearing with just one pull on the slide hammer when the rim is hot enough. At the same time he told me that his new mechanic warped two rotors by overheating the rim just last week. So I played it safe and used moderate heat and more banging. 😅

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, petshark said:

Solution

So I visited the dealer and he said that you don't fully seat the second bearing. You have to leave a paper thin gap so that the spacer can still move just a little inside.

This advice seems a little suspect to me... "leave a paper thin gap" - wut?  🤨  A 'thin gap' could be open to interpretation between any two given mechanics.  Seems a bit odd; have never heard of this technique before, frankly.

21 hours ago, petshark said:

He said that I could reuse the bearing because I did not ride a lot on it.

Okay, now I have even less confidence in this dealer's counsel. As others have correctly observed, you don't re-use  bearing that you have hammered out. They just need to be replaced.

21 hours ago, petshark said:

 I will order new ones though and do it all over because it took many hits with the slide hammer to get it out again.

Good man... correct thought process.  👍

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Warchild said:

This advice seems a little suspect to me... "leave a paper thin gap" - wut?  🤨  A 'thin gap' could be open to interpretation between any two given mechanics.  Seems a bit odd; have never heard of this technique before, frankly.


Paper thin is not the technical spec but the spacer should be able to move just a little. That is how those how-to videos also show it. They can push the spacer to the side and use a punch to tap the bearing out. Not on the Tracer. With the fully seated bearings the spacer was pushing so hard against them that I had some trouble pushing the axle through because the holes were not perfectly aligned and it wouldn’t budge. Turning the bearing with a finger you could feel how much friction that pressure was causing. I could feel it while riding too. So while I agree that it is weird  my conclusion is that when the bearing is fully seated the inner and outer rings of the bearings do not align and will probably quickly grind away the little balls inside. I have no idea why it’s not just the right size  

btw I had an epiphany while lying in bed what that ring around the spacer is for. 😀 Without it the spacer would fall to the side all the time when you are tapping in the bearing. It’s big enough to keep it approximately centered but it doesn’t touch the walls when the axle is installed. And it has to be on the left hand side because that’s where you insert the axle. This is kind of proof in itself that Yamaha wants the spacer loose. But why oh why is there no mention of this in the service manual? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×